Not just automatic

Jesus, help me really think about what the Sign of the Cross means when I make it. Amen!

After Jesus came back from the dead, the 11 Apostles went to Galilee to meet Him. They felt a little scared, but Jesus told them, "Go and teach all people about God, and baptize them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. And remember, I'll always be with you!"

When you read the words, "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit," did your hand come up to make the Sign of the Cross? Did you start to say, "Amen," at the end?

If you did, that wouldn't be surprising. You've probably said those words as you crossed yourself and ended with "Amen" a hundred times before, so it becomes automatic to do it when you hear those words.

In this week's Gospel (Matthew 28:16-20), we get the idea that Jesus wanted that to happen. In the story, Jesus has come back one last time before He goes to heaven. One of His last lessons to His followers is to "teach all people about God" -- not just a few people or people of just one religion, but all people, everywhere!

Just like it's automatic for you to make the Sign of the Cross (that means you do it without even thinking about it), Jesus wanted it to become automatic for the Apostles to help people get close to God.

He didn't want them to think about it first or argue over which people to teach; He wanted them to just travel, find people, tell them God loved them and baptize them.

Making the Sign of the Cross might be something you do all the time, but another message Jesus gave is that it wasn't supposed to be just something you do. Jesus wanted people to learn about who God is, and to remember that Jesus is always with all of us.

That way, making the Sign of the Cross shows that you know God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit love you!